DURHAM, NC, August 16 – Global Scholars Academy, K-8 charter school that strives to connect Durham area youth to a wide array of intellectual and social capital resources, and Azure Antoinette, a commissioned poet and youth arts in education advocate who has been characterized as “the Maya Angelou of the millennial generation,” will host a weeklong discussion, August 21 – 25, in the Durham community on equality in education and arts in education advocacy.

The gravity and urgency of this youth advocacy work is underscored by a historical marker, at the intersection of Dowd St. and Roxboro Rd., where Global Scholars Academy currently sits, noting the Royal Ice Cream Parlor sit in of 1957, which challenged the legality of facility segregation. Inside the 50th anniversary of the Royal Ice Cream Parlor sit in, and in light of growing racial tensions and widening socioeconomic disparities in our nation, this conversation serves as a commitment to doing the work to improve the life chances of Durham area youth.

Throughout the week, Global Scholars Academy leadership and Azure Antoinette will hold critical conversations, workshops and planning meetings with key community leaders. Two of these events will be open to media.

Monday, August 21, at 9:00 a.m., the students at Global Scholars Academy will present a narrative in celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Royal Ice Cream Parlor Sit-In and Azure Antoinette will address the students, parents and community to kick off the week. The presentation will be held at Global Scholars Academy. This event is open to the public and media.

Thursday, August 24, at 7:00 p.m. at the Sonja Haynes Stone Center for Black Culture and History, UNC – Chapel Hill will welcome Azure Antoinette and Global Scholars Academy for an invitation only presentation, meet and greet reception and book signing. Media is invited upon request.

Friday, August 25, Azure Antoinette will conduct a Master Class at Global Scholars Academy for select UNC – Chapel Hill, NC Central University, and Global Scholars Academy students. This event will not be open to the public.

Global Scholars Academy serves 100% children of color and follows a dynamic 21st century franchise model of public education that is rooted in culturally responsive instructional practices, which serve as the gateway to unlocking every child’s unique gifts.

Global Scholars Academy’s holistic approach to student achievement cultivates seeds of possibility with a positive counter narrative that breaks down centuries old social constructs and biases, constructs that repress their aptitude and interest in certain fields of study, and instead promotes inclusion, perspective and options as it relates to their future. The academy is committed to not only providing academic rigor but delivering students who are agile, entrepreneurially minded, and analytically and culturally savvy. Experiences in STEAM fields (Science, Technology, Arts, Engineering and Math) better prepare students to thrive in our dynamic global economy. The customized education model empowers students to bold imagination, resilience, and academic excellence.

Azure Antoinette believes arts education plays an integral role in helping students realize their full potential, meet their academic benchmarks, set goals and pursue their dreams and facilitates workshops on youth poetic expression and creative writing as catharsis.

For more information please visit www.globalscholarsacademy.org. There you can also learn about ways you can contribute to the immediate impact Global Scholars Academy is having on local youth.

At Global Scholars Academy, our mission is to improve educational outcomes and the overall life chances of Durham, NC young people who are at the greatest risk of failure academically and in other walks of life due to significant social, economic, and educational challenges in their family, neighborhood, and community environments. We strive to follow a dynamic 21st century franchise model of public education, one that builds bridges to the economic mainstream for vulnerable students. By using an interdisciplinary and holistic approach to education, we encourage our students to forge connections between academic fields and their personal lives out in world at large. Our vision is one of a public education system that is culturally responsive, supports academic success, and serves as a gateway to unlocking every child's unique gifts. Our curriculum fosters curiosity in our students and aspires to give them a sense of personal, financial and academic responsibility that they can carry with them throughout their lives. Regardless of a student’s socio-economic circumstance, we believe that a high-quality education should give students the ability to know and unlock their power for personal achievement.

Jim Johnson, Co-Founder and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Global Scholars Academy is the William Rand Kenan, Jr. Distinguished Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship at UNC’s Kenan-Flagler Business School and director of the Urban Investment Strategies Center at the Frank Hawkins Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise. Johnson’s center focuses on innovative approaches to revitalizing urban areas and on teaching government, community, and nonprofit leaders and managers to become more entrepreneurial and business-like in their operations and service delivery. Johnson is an expert on community and economic development, the effects of demographic changes on the U.S. workplace, interethnic minority conflict in advanced industrial societies, urban poverty and public policy, and workforce diversity issues. He is widely quoted in national media and appears on national network news programs. Fast Company magazine named Johnson one of the “17…brightest thinkers and doers in the new world of work.” Johnson spent twelve years on the faculty at the University of California, Los Angeles, before coming to UNC-Chapel Hill. He received a bachelor’s degree from North Carolina Central University, master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin at Madison, and Ph.D. from Michigan State University.

Azure Antoinette, critically acclaimed poet and public speaker formed STUDIO:alchemy in 2010 to administer creative education curriculum in public and private schools across the U.S. Azure has performed on the stage of Maria Shriver's Women’s Conference and Minerva Awards, been published in the pages of O, the Oprah Magazine's first-ever poetry issue, and named a Global Ambassador for 10x10. Called "the Maya Angelou of the millennial generation", Azure Antoinette is a poet, spoken word artist, freelance photographer, and youth arts advocate. She was included in Forbes's 100 Most Powerful Women in the World issue in 2012 and was featured in a special section titled "Women Helping Women." Antoinette is in high demand as a poet, arts-in-education consultant, speaker and workshop facilitator on youth poetic expression and creative writing as catharsis. She has been commissioned to write for Maria Shriver, Beats By Dr. Dre, Girl Scouts of America, The Documentary Group, California Arts Council, the late Lt. Colonel Lee Archer (Tuskegee Airman), American Cancer Society's benefit Art 4 Life and many more. After hearing poet Marty McConnell’s unforgettable words, "Do not let this universe regret you," she left her first career in human resources to pursue her dream: Using the arts to make an impact.

Brittany Curry, Managing Director, Global Scholars Academy. Curry recently joined Global Scholars Academy team from Johnson & Johnson where she held several roles managing global brands including JOHNSON’S®, BAND-AID® Brand Adhesive Bandages, AVEENO®, and LISTERINE®. She not only brings her functional expertise in marketing and general management but her experience delivering solutions for African American and Hispanic consumers directly translates into identifying and customizing solutions for the demographic of students at Global Scholars Academy with a keen sense of how to uncover, understand, and cater to their specific needs. Prior to joining the leadership team, she served for several years on the Board of Directors for the academy. Born and raised in Atlanta, GA, Curry holds an undergraduate degree from Hampton University and a M.B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Kenan – Flagler Business School.

Jason Jowers, Head of School, Global Scholars Academy. Born and raised in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Jason Jowers began his teaching career as a Social Studies teacher at Southern School of Engineering in Durham, NC. He was named Durham Public Schools Teacher of the Year in 2011 and spent the next four years as an Assistant Principal at Hillside High School leading to his being named North Carolina Assistant Principal of the year in 2015. Jowers was named principal at Fayetteville Street Elementary in 2015, and spent one year in that role before becoming Head of School at Global Scholars Academy in 2016. Jowers holds an undergraduate degree from North Carolina Central University and Masters in School Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.